Re: The Prisoner: "Anvil" and "Darling" 11/16/09 - Grading & Discussio
I'm not sure if combining episodes is the right approach. Last night the one story led into the other in such a way that I felt was kind of jarring.
I'm finding it amusing all the critics who are complaining about the show not being straightforward and it being confusing. That's the whole point. The Prisoner never played by the rules, and I don't expect the new show to do so either. I didn't buy the "Who is Number 1" answer for a moment. And anyone who did is buying into the mainstream conception of how television tells a story.
I liked both parts pretty well equally. Anvil followed the basic premise of the original Hammer into Anvil quite faithfully -- even down to having Number 2 get paranoid, while Darling actually seemed to combine a few elements of episodes like A, B & C and Dance of the Dead. Probably the biggest departure from the original was the introduction of romance (having 6 engage in a one night stand probably had PMG spinning), but I think it works. Is it just me or does AMC seem to have a think for, erm, zaftig redheads? (Christina Hendricks on Mad Men, and now Hayley Attwell on Prisoner?) Not that I'm complaining!
I am complaining about the "hand holding" going on in the commercial breaks. Come on, are American viewers really so stupid that they need to be told to make connections between story elements? If so, they don't deserve The Prisoner, original or remake.
It's down to the last 2 now. I'm concerned about some of the comments suggesting a straightforward ending. They better not. I want this to live up to the original series and give us an ending that will be debated 40 years from now, just as it is with the original.
Alex
I'm not sure if combining episodes is the right approach. Last night the one story led into the other in such a way that I felt was kind of jarring.
I'm finding it amusing all the critics who are complaining about the show not being straightforward and it being confusing. That's the whole point. The Prisoner never played by the rules, and I don't expect the new show to do so either. I didn't buy the "Who is Number 1" answer for a moment. And anyone who did is buying into the mainstream conception of how television tells a story.
I liked both parts pretty well equally. Anvil followed the basic premise of the original Hammer into Anvil quite faithfully -- even down to having Number 2 get paranoid, while Darling actually seemed to combine a few elements of episodes like A, B & C and Dance of the Dead. Probably the biggest departure from the original was the introduction of romance (having 6 engage in a one night stand probably had PMG spinning), but I think it works. Is it just me or does AMC seem to have a think for, erm, zaftig redheads? (Christina Hendricks on Mad Men, and now Hayley Attwell on Prisoner?) Not that I'm complaining!
I am complaining about the "hand holding" going on in the commercial breaks. Come on, are American viewers really so stupid that they need to be told to make connections between story elements? If so, they don't deserve The Prisoner, original or remake.
It's down to the last 2 now. I'm concerned about some of the comments suggesting a straightforward ending. They better not. I want this to live up to the original series and give us an ending that will be debated 40 years from now, just as it is with the original.
Alex
